The Upland Alternative
The objective of the Upland Alternative is to create a safe, accessible, at-grade path that connects the Metro-North train station in Cold Spring to the trailhead at Breakneck Ridge. The Upland Alternative draws from two decades of community input and planning, and is backed up by a feasibility study that was completed and approved by Philipstown in 2007. It is designed to protect hikers, improve ADA accessibility, and promote sustainable levels of tourism.
By enhancing and joining together pre-existing municipal and state park infrastructure, the Upland Alternative could be built in a fraction of the time and at a fraction of the cost of the Fjord Trail. It could be built without subjecting the environment and surrounding community to years of heavy construction. Unlike the Fjord Trail, building the Upland Alternative would not require cutting down acres of trees, building hundreds of new parking spaces, or fragmenting nature. The Fjord Trail does not have to be built in the river. There is a viable alternative.
Why call it the “Upland Alternative?”
The Upland Alternative takes its name from the New York State Department of Environmental Protection’s directive that if an upland alternative is available, it is always preferred. This directive seeks to protect the Hudson River’s ecosystems and the navigability of the river itself.
Advantages of the Upland Alternative
No new parking lots and current parking remains free and open access
Improves access points to existing trails, giving people more freedom to explore
Preserves the viewshed by not building the Fjord Trail’s elevated boardwalk and fencing
Cheaper, faster, and easier to build, operate, and maintain, minimizing costs to taxpayers
More resilient to climate change and adaptable to climate disruption
Less disruptive to wildlife
Improves ADA access from Metro-North train platform directly to at-grade trail
Improves ADA access to Little Stony Point
A path from Cold Spring to Breakneck Ridge
The Upland Alternative is designed to connect the Metro-North train station in Cold Spring to the trailhead at Breakneck Ridge.
Section 1: Cold Spring to Little Stony Point
There are three paths that the Upland Alternative could take through Cold Spring: Two options parallel the Metro-North train tracks north of the Depot restaurant and a third option would run adjacent to Fair Street—all options that HHFT prematurely dismissed in favor of their boardwalk attraction. In contrast to HHFT’s proposed boardwalk, the Upland Alternative instead seeks to build upon the 2007 greenway feasibility study, construction site plans for Fair Street and Mayor’s Park that Philipstown completed in 2014, and upland sections of the 2015 Fjord Trail Preliminary Draft Master Plan. Taken together, these plans would build new infrastructure that improves pedestrian access from the Metro-North train station, through Cold Spring, to Little Stony Point.
These construction drawings, which were commissioned by Philipstown in 2014, show infrastructure improvements that could be completed at Mayor's Park and along Fair Street, including a new sidewalk to Little Stony Point.
This rendering from the 2015 Fjord Trail Master Plan shows improved sidewalks and shared lane markings for bikers along Fair Street, which HHFT has since abandoned in favor of their boardwalk attraction.
The public right of way along Fair Street approaching Route 9D would allow for the construction of new sidewalks, resolving the current pinch-point that pedestrians experience as they approach Little Stony Point.
This rendering from the 2007 greenway feasibility study shows how a berm with a gently sloping path could be installed at the entrance to Little Stony Point to improve ADA accessibility.
This annotated map from the 2015 Fjord Trail Master Plan shows how the intersection at Fair Street and Route 9D could be redesigned to improve safety and provide more space for pedestrians. HHFT has since abandoned this plan in favor of a roundabout, which they say is necessary to accommodate more cars for planned new parking lots.
Section 2: Little Stony Point to Breakneck Ridge
From Little Stony Point, the Upland Alternative would follow the Washburn Trail toward the Cornish Estate, then proceed along the Cornish Connector and Brook Trail to the Route 9D tunnel just south of Breakneck Ridge. The New York State Department of Transportation is currently in the process of installing a new crosswalk across Route 9D just south of the tunnel, widening the pedestrian sidewalk through the tunnel, and improving lighting in the tunnel itself. This work by NYSDOT is scheduled to be completed by the summer of 2025.
On August 21, 2024, Protect the Highlands presented the Upland Alternative to the Town of Philipstown Town Board. The video of that presentation and corresponding slide deck are available below.